Creative Steel Discussion, Creative Steel 04-07 CTS-V Rear Cradle Bushings in Authorized Cadillac Vendors; These bushings have been a long time coming, but we now have something to offer the CTS and CTS-V community. ...

Creative Steel 04-07 CTS-V Rear Cradle Bushings

These bushings have been a long time coming, but we now have something to offer the CTS and CTS-V community. Actually the bushings themselves have been finished for some time but since the job of removing the OEM bushings in order to perform the swap is such a nightmare we thought that offering the bushings alone was only offering half of a solution. We built a tool for our own use to remove the original bushings in our car. Once we got the bugs worked out, the job went so smooth that we knew that we would need some rental units.....that's what I've been doing with my spare time.
Here is the initial write-up that is on our website. The tool will rent for $50 + refundable deposit and will listed on the website next week.
We think our cradle bushings have features that you will find appealing. Let us know what you think

Website description:

Our sub-frame/cradle bushings completely replace the OEM rubber bushings. The OEM bushings are very soft which make them ideal for isolating vibrations and road noise. They were installed by the factory to make your Cadillac drive and feel like a Cadillac. As designed, the OEM bushings control side-to-side movement of the cradle (the "cradle" is what all of the rear suspension components connect to, then the cradle is bolted to the body of the car) when the car is going around corners but have air gaps fore and aft. These air gaps allow the four bushings to deflect under hard acceleration, in turn adding to the existence of wheel hop.

Our bushings are made out of a durable, long-lasting polyurethane that are designed with performance in mind. Our bushings are stiffer than the OEM units and have no air gaps which diminishes deflection even further under load . To add even more structure to the polyurethane, we have imbedded a metal ring inside the bushings. This ring prevents the tube on the cradle that the bushings press into from cutting into the polyurethane under high loads causing premature failure, as well as spreading the load of the thin wall tube across a larger surface area of urethane giving the cradle better support. Our bushing kit also comes with thicker round plate washers that don't bend like the originals, and they also spread load applied to the bottom bushing over more area than the factory washer.

A problem guys have with changing out the OEM bushings is that they are pressed in at tremendous force. The current "go to" method of removing these bushings is: remove exhaust system, disconnect driveline, hydraulic brake lines, disconnect parking brake cables, and lower and remove the cradle from the car. Then use one or more of the following techniques: torching, cutting, drilling, or hammering out the old bushings. Installing the new bushings is a simple task, but the thought of how much labor is involved to remove the original bushings is a deal breaker for all but the most serious of CTS/CTS-V owners. At Creative Steel, we think that is a miserable, time-consuming way to achieve better vehicle performance. To assist our customers, we have made a tool that allows you to leave the cradle in the car, never disconnecting/removing anything but the exhaust; you are able to press the bushings out of the cradle with it still connected to the car. This turns a dirty , nasty 8hr+ job into an easy 4hr job for someone unfamiliar with the task. No need to bleed brake lines, wrestle a heavy suspension system out from under the car, use a Sawsall as an automotive tool, breathe burnt rubber, nor have your car off the road for more than an afternoon.

Re: CTS-V Rear Cradle Bushings

Max,

First off, they look nice and esp with a rental tool - fantastic! That makes installing them much smoother. However I notice that you used aluminum inserts that contact the surface of the subframe. IIRC the subframe is carbon steel. How did you address galvanic corrosion with this metal combination?

Re: CTS-V Rear Cradle Bushings

Thanks, I wish they would have been finished years ago, life gets busy. The rental tool is going to be a game changer for the installation.
As far as the galvanic corrosion goes, there are other steel/aluminum connections in cars from the factory. According to Wikipedia though, if you can seal out salts and acidic materials from the connection you will stop or slow the corrosion. So while the bushings are being installed, if some of the silicone assembly lube is spread on the end of the aluminum that contacts the car, that should seal out any road salts and water preventing the corrosion. We were looking at using steel for this tube but it was considerately heavier than the aluminum with no strength benefit.
Thanks for reminding me, I will add the need for grease on the aluminum to our install directions.

Re: CTS-V Rear Cradle Bushings

Originally Posted by HAMSTAR

Max, this is great news. Hope you move a sh*t ton of them. I'll be waiting on the bushing removal tool-- it really will be a game-changer.

Thanks Man,

I have 4 complete sets of the bushing removal tools ready to ship and several sets of bushings. We are offering them in both 90A Red and 75A Black. The tool is clearly a game-changer. We took the three year old prototype bushings that we put in our car back in the day out on a Thursday, it took 4 hours while working out a few bugs. We did the swap on a customers car the following Saturday, it took just under 2 hours. So a first timer should have no problems doing the swap in 4 hours. Happy Days !

Re: CTS-V Rear Cradle Bushings

Originally Posted by philistine

Max,

First off, they look nice and esp with a rental tool - fantastic! That makes installing them much smoother. However I notice that you used aluminum inserts that contact the surface of the subframe. IIRC the subframe is carbon steel. How did you address galvanic corrosion with this metal combination?

Sub frame is painted. you therefore have a physical barrier preventing galvanic corrosion from occurring. The paint would have to break down before corrosion would begin. It would be even better for CS to have the aluminum painted too for corrosion protection concern but not necessary.

Re: Creative Steel 04-07 CTS-V Rear Cradle Bushings

I am new here and I just bought an 05 V and it needs just about every bushing replaced. :-P I was wondering if there is any way to get the instructions for using the 2 specialized tools you have for the V (new cradle bushing and front diff bushing tool) so I can take a look at how much work they will be for me to do on the ground. I was planning on taking a week off in December so I can do some of the replacements. I am looking to hopefully fix most if not all the wheel hop and vibrations at the same time. Do you think I need the GForce axle or do you think your "Mega Deal" and cradle bushings will help with most of it? Is there anyway to schedule the availability of the tools for a specific week? BTW it will most likely the week before Christmas.

Re: Creative Steel 04-07 CTS-V Rear Cradle Bushings

Originally Posted by davedave1234

I am new here and I just bought an 05 V and it needs just about every bushing replaced. :-P I was wondering if there is any way to get the instructions for using the 2 specialized tools you have for the V (new cradle bushing and front diff bushing tool) so I can take a look at how much work they will be for me to do on the ground. I was planning on taking a week off in December so I can do some of the replacements. I am looking to hopefully fix most if not all the wheel hop and vibrations at the same time. Do you think I need the GForce axle or do you think your "Mega Deal" and cradle bushings will help with most of it? Is there anyway to schedule the availability of the tools for a specific week? BTW it will most likely the week before Christmas.

Dave,

I would say that Cradle Bushings will help a TON with wheel hop. The mega deal will help your car so when you turn it off, the engine won't rattle to a stop like an old diesel pick-up. Mounts will also connect your engine to the car better so that you can actually use the power. The difference between new mounts and blown OE mounts......No comparison, you will like new motor mounts. New trans mount and shifter bushings will make the shifter feel a lot more positive while shifting, less like a stick stirring mud. I can't comment on the GForce axles. I know that they are a fairy high ticket item, so I would wait until you see who much wheel hop the cradle bushings fix, then go from there.

Yes, you can schedule the tools for the week before Christmas. If you pay for the parts and rental fees, prior to, we will send the parts and tools at any time that you specify

I can send you the instructions for the tools. Not sure what good they will do ya??? Just words and pictures on paper. Both tools can be used "on the ground", the higher the car the better though. Sitting up would be way better than on your back. Either way BE SAFE, non of this crap is worth dying for.